Description:

Butterfield Daniel 1831 - 1901 Civil War Brig Genl Butterfield request for a Court Martial and Investigation.

Bi-fold ALS on lightly lined paper, 7" x 9", with the second page inlaid to another sheet to a total size of 7.25" x 10.75". Professional archival repair to a separation along a fold line. Verso has an ANS by Brigadier General Daniel Butterfield. Dated "June 23, 1862" and signed in full by Butterfield as "Brig Genl Butterfield". Several small scattered stains with an central area of toning. Accompanied by documented provenance as noted below.


A fascinating scripted exchange between the commanding Colonel, and Brigadier General Butterfield regarding a local camp incident of theft during the Civil War. The exchange is shown below, with Brig General Daniel Butterfields response located on the verso of the letter.

"Headquarters 17 N.W. Vols

Camp W. Newbridge, Va, June 23, 1862

Captain,

I enclosed list of prisoners brought in by the Officer of the Day of the 44the NY +... Marshal. Neither of these officers charge the arrested with stealing. It will be seen that nearly all of them were engaged within a 100 yards of the camp in camp duty washing themselves & washing clothes, getting water + wood for kitchens, boughs for shelter in fact most of them had either clothes or sticks + boughs in their hands. A number of them were arrested within the limits of my Camp, the Officer of the Day thus exceeding his power. Four of them arrested near the Chickahominy were stragglers and deserve some severe punishment.

As we have neither wood or water in our Camp, it follows that the men must go outside to get these necessaries. As a rule when any distance has to be traversed a non-commissioned officer goes with them but in this instance the stream was so near it was not thought necessary.

I have not placed the Officers of the Companies to which these men belong under arrest awaiting further instructions, as to do so would deprive me of Officers.

Respectfully Yours

H Lansing Col..."

With Brig General Daniel Butterfield's response and command located on the verso of the letter of:

" Reply Rec'd to Col Lansing

Standing orders required all men (illegible) from camp for ... to be in charge of a non comd officer -

Release temporarily all but the last four named (illegible)Robinson, Toubeaux, + Tijho. Try them by Reg C.M. at once - Return enclosed for investigation as to the others.

By Commd of

Brig Genl Butterfield ..."

An incredibly detailed accounting of an inappropriate event within a Camp in Virginia during the Civil War. Lack of supplies, food, water, and shelter were a chronic concern during the war. Known as "Little Napoleon," because of his bad temper and meddlesome assertiveness, Butterfield commanded the last four named in the even to be Court Marshalled and requested an investigation. Rare excellent letter allowing for the reader to understand both the event itself in addition to reading Butterfield's direct response.

Provenance: This item was recently discovered in an extra illustrated volume of "History of the City of New York" by Mary L. Booth, New York W. R. C. Clark, 1867. Originally two volumes, the monumental task of expanding the work to 21 volumes by none other than Emery E. Childs esquire of New York City. In volume 1 of this work exists a lovely india ink Drawing of Mary L. Booth along with a notation "presented by her to E E C" in pencil. Next to the title page we find an original letter of Booth to Childs dated April 4, 1872 " I am in receipt of your favor of the 4th inst., and am grateful to hear that you are taking the trouble to illustrate my History of the City of New York in the manner you describe. I shall be happy to see you, should you favor me with a callas I am usually in my office during business hours and should be pleased to facilitate your Enterprise by any means in my power"

It is assumed that the book took several years to assemble at which point, assumedly through Childs, it made its way to Senator Charles B. Farwell of Chicago who took the seat of John A. Logan in 1887. Farwell had an extensive library that fortunately survived the great Chicago fire in 1871 having been housed in his Lakeside home. In the American Bibliopolist of November 1871 there is an article about the devastation to libraries caused by the tragedy . "Mr C. B. Farwell's library is also fortunately far out from the city, at his country house, and is safe, The same remark will also apply to the extensive collection of books and curiosities belonging to Mr. E. E. Childs." This establishes the Chicago connection between Childs and Farwell.

That these letters were preserved for over 140 years and have never been on the market for that period is remarkable on many levels. It is the state of being wedged in these volumes that also account for what is mostly the pristine state of preservation.

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